Posts Tagged ‘Beach Accommodations’

Leigh Cort writes an article for Old City Life about a trip to historic St. Simons Island and The King and Prince.

Day Trip

By Leigh Cort

The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort

View from the Oceanfront Building

Only a two hour drive from Saint Augustine, run away to a Georgia island that will take your breath away. Expansive vistas along a 5-mile causeway leading to St. Simons Island from the mainland will compel you to roll down the windows and exhale the saltwater marshes and exhale the stresses of life. Drive under massive live oaks creating canopied tunnels that Eugenia Price immortalized as the setting for many of her romantic novels. When you arrive at The King and Prince Hotel that oozed Southern hospitality, you might feel like a kid again on your first beach vacation.

A member of Historic Hotels of America, The King and Prince has hosted dignitaries and celebrities for 75+ years when it was a retreat for the ‘rich and famous.’ There are numerous lodging options (14 styles of rooms, suites, cottages or villas). For romance, choose a Cabana Room, in the historic center of this Mediterranean beauty. It’s perfect for a quiet getaway with a large beautifully decorated bedroom, cozy sitting room and one smaller step down to an oceanfront verandah. Uber comfort is important when it’s a ‘romantic’ getaway. The peaceful blues/yellows and tons of extra pillows are all you need to let the cares of the world drift away. For a family affair, select a 2-bedroom villa with oceanfront balcony, 2 baths and full kitchen.

If you visit for a day, take a stroll around the Hotel and enjoy lunch or dinner in the only oceanfront restaurants on the island. Featuring southern coastal cuisine, tour The Delegal Dining Room with historic stained glass windows that depict the Island’s histoy. Through the decades contemporary additions to the King and Prince maintain the same historic feeling ~ from the original building of rooms and suites ~ to the pristine indoor pool and four outdoor swimming pools. Front desk staff and lobby concierge are ready to make any stay wonderful, arranging a suneset cruise, kayaking, bicycles to explore the island or directions to the famous St. Simons Lighthouse.

If you visit for an overnight, there is no hurry to catch it all. Perhaps a ride on The Lighthouse Trolley can begin your island exploration. Making stops along the island to specialty shops in The Village or Sea Island Shops where there are numerous art & antique galleries, boutiques and restaurants-the trolley continues to Christ Church, Fort Frederica and stops throughout St. Simons Island with historic makrers dating to the 1600s.

Return to the Hotel and indulge at the Royal Treatment Cottage. With a smorgasbord of revitalizing services choose a treatment where “the mind and body can relax.” They offer very individualized attention that might include Aromatherapy, reflexology, Swedish or side-by-side massage for couples. Any visit to St. Simons Island must include driving along 16-mile Frederica Road, which begins at the southend pier and Village-culminating at the north end and the King and Prince Golf Course at Hampton Plantation. Resort guests and day trip visitors can enjoy a spectacular day of golf on a course that is owned by the Resort. Renowned for its ancient forests, vast salt marshes and four spectacular signature hotels that are gently carved from small coastal marsh ‘islands’, the course bends around towering oaks, across lakes and lagoons. Lunch at the clubhouse is open to the public too (365 days a year). Their innovative 3-D graphic transports viewers to each of the 18 holes via hole-by-hole flyover.

Hotel guests often visit with a list of ‘must do’s on the island’ while visiting. It’s a great idea to be an organized traveler and maximize vacation time but the Resort has done some of the work for you:

Live History: Climb to the top of the St. Simons Island Lighthouse, Trace the archaeological remnants of Ft. Frederica where Georgia’s fate was determined is 1742, Hop aboard The Lighthouse Trolley for an Island history tour.

Self-Guided Walking Tours: We’ll prepare a customized tour or set out on your own.

Read a Book: Settle in and find a cozy spot – the beach, the pool, your luxurious room or an oceanfront swing.

Dine Around: The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily with an exquisite ocean view from every table. The King and Prince Golf Course serves breakfast and lunch daily too. AND the Island dining options are extensive. Ask our concierge.

St. Simons Island ‘Island Playhouse’ Theature & Library: A must! Bringing live theater to the Island since 1956.

Energize the Imagination, Body & Soul: For Relaxation & Rejuvenation- enjoy our Royal Treatment Cottage. Where your mind and body can relax with massage therapies and treatments…steps from the beach.

Celebrate Golf: King & Prince Golf Course is a MUST PLAY. Enjoy our old fashioned hospitality and experience a truly memorable game: the serenity of extraordinary natural beauty and the challenges of one of Coastal Georgia’s great courses.

Fish, Surf & Boating: Let the fresh air and waterways seduce you for a day ~ take a trip on the Lady Jane (shrimp boat) or we can help you plan your adventure with one of the island’s favorite captains: Cap Fendig. Kayaking, dolphin tours and secret fishing sports are yours for the asking.